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Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
Research profile
Currently a Research Associate Alzheimer’s Disease group within the Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University as a bioinformatician.
My PhD at Keele University based in the OsKOR group at The RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital focused on spinal cord injury (SCI). SCI is damage to the spinal cord due to trauma, degeneration or disease that results in a temporary/permanent change to neurological function, recovery from which is highly variable, stymieing development of novel therapies as powering clinical trials is extremely difficult. SCI can lead to devastating consequences for both the physical and mental health of patients, particularly due to the uncertainty of neurological outcomes in the first two weeks post-injury.
I endeavour to discover novel biomarkers of SCI outcomes, both to minimise this uncertainty and to expand our understanding of the underlying pathology of neurological recovery. I use a combination of modelling patient data and proteomic techniques to this end, and have identified a relationship between markers of liver health and SCI recovery.
The lab rotations in the first year of my PhD also allowed me to greatly develop my skills at the bench. At Loughborough University, I investigated genetic expression in hydrogels, gaining experience in 3D tissue culture, hydrogels and PCR. At Nottingham University I studied the effects of alternating current on interfacing wires grown via wireless electrochemistry and gained experience in 3D printing, electrodeposition and microscopy. At Keele University I cultured multiple cell types in 3D and compared viability and growth kinetics via cell staining, fluorescent microscopy. These experiences have given me a highly cross-disciplinary skillset making me a flexible and versatile scientist.
Current Role
Bioinformatician
Research Associate
Cardiff University, Wales
2021 - Present
Dementia Research Institute - Alzheimer’s Disease
Education
Lancaster University
BSc in Biological Sciences, 2:1
Lancaster, UK
2016
Dissertation: 5-prime genotyping of Enterovirus 71
Keele University
PhD Student
Oswestry, UK
2017 - 2021
Thesis: Exploring the serum proteome of spinal cord injured patients: Identifying prognostic biomarkers and new treatment targets
Skills
Experience in:
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- Statistical learning models
- Proteomics
- Electronic health data
- Use of super computers for modelling
- Submission for ethical approval of research
- Working under the jurisdiction of the Human Tissue Act
- Technical and lay-friendly science communication
- Highly skilled in R, Bash, Python, LaTeX, SQL, Linux
- Wet lab work including 3D tissue culture, microscopy and research animal handling
Research Experience
Graduate Research Internship
Bionics Institute
Melbourne, Australia
2016 - 2017
- Began initial work towards building a next-generation cochlea implant
- Established the viability of using a viral vector for optogenetic modification of mouse cochlea
- Gained extensive experience in immunohistochemistry, cryosectioning, imaging, research animal handling
Selected Publications
A Preliminary Cohort Study Assessing Routine Blood Analyte Levels and Neurological Outcome after Spinal Cord Injury
Journal of Neurotrauma 2020 Jan 9
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2020
Sharon J. Brown, Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Charlotte H. Hulme, Rachel Morris, Anna Bennett, Wai-Hung Tsang, Aheed Osman, Joy Chowdhury, Naveen Kumar, and Karina T. Wright
Routinely Measured Hematological Markers Can Help to Predict American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale Scores after Spinal Cord Injury
Journal of Neurotrauma 2020 Aug 28
N/A
2020
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Paul Cool, Charlotte Hulme, Aheed Osman, Joy Roy Chowdhury, Naveen Kumar, Srinivasa Budithi, and Karina Wright
Oral presentations
Reproducible Research
Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) Conference, 2019
Manchester University
2019
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
SCI and the liver
Research day, 2021
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Virtual
2021
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
Poster presentations
Proteomic analysis of bloods from SCI patients
CDT Joint conference, 2020
Virtual
2020
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Charlotte H. Hulme, Paul Cool, Karina T. Wright